The Beluga Super Transporter brings Airbus’ hiring message to Berlin in a big way

Airbus’ international hiring campaign took centre stage at the ILA Berlin Air show today as one of its A300-600ST Super Transporter aircraft joined the static display line, carrying the company’s employment message on both sides of this jetliner’s oversized fuselage.

The A300-600ST – which will be present at the biennial air show during its public days – has the words: “Think Mobility…” displayed on one side, with the suggestion: “Join us” on the other.

This “winged billboard” is the latest public outreach for Airbus’ planned target of adding more than 4,000 new employees worldwide in 2012 – making a combined staff expansion of over 8,500 employees during the 2011-2012 timeframe.

With an active workforce of 55,000 at the end of 2011, Airbus’ recruitment campaign is driven by sustained production rates to meet the growing order backlog for its product line, the development of new aircraft, and the company’s continued globalisation. The hiring initiative focuses on key Airbus competences, such as composite design, manufacturing and lean processes, as well as project management.

Airbus not only is looking for a skilled workforce, but also a diverse one – aiming for at least 25 per cent of the 4,000 recruits in 2012 to be female.

The A300-600ST displayed at the ILA Berlin Air Show comes from Airbus’ fleet of Super Transporter jetliners. These highly-modified A300-600 jetliners – also affectionately known as the Beluga because of their distinctive profile – support the Airbus production network by carrying complete sections of aircraft from different sites around Europe to final assembly lines in Toulouse, France and Hamburg, Germany.